Reform UK discussion

[Rab Smith]

To get back to Farage, isn't it just delicious to watch him squirm everytime a journalist asks him a question about his sting operation.
This hopefully should be the end of him and the end of Reform.

 

[yorkie]

To get back to Farage, isn't it just delicious to watch him squirm everytime a journalist asks him a question about his sting operation.
This hopefully should be the end of him and the end of Reform.

The xenophobic racists who support Reform are still going to be around and would vote Restore, so the problem isn't going to completely go away. Some of them previously supported UKIP and would support whatever racist party comes next.

In other news...

Police appeal to woman after Reform UK audience incident

A video circulating online has shown a protester's head being pulled during the Birmingham event.

www.bbc.co.uk

Police have asked a woman who had her hair and head grabbed at the Reform UK conference to come forward as they carry out an investigation.

Footage circulating on social media has shown audience members pulling the protester back as disorder broke out during the event at Birmingham's NEC.

At least one of the individuals who can be seen appearing to assault the protester has been identified:

Dav Mac (@davmcmac) on Threads

@westmidlandspolice it appears that Stephen Cooling of Sutton Coldfield is the stick wealding individual at yesterday’s conference. He kindly wore his name badge in the image below.

www.threads.com

@westmidlandspolice it appears that Stephen Cooling of Sutton Coldfield is the stick wealding individual at yesterday’s conference. He kindly wore his name badge in the image below.

George (@GeorgeAACX) on X

Stephen Cooling-Sutton Coldfield Reform. Stood for UKIP in Erdington and was caught on camera assaulting two female protesters at reform conference

x.com

Stephen Cooling-Sutton Coldfield Reform. Stood for UKIP in Erdington and was caught on camera assaulting two female protesters at reform conference

These people are really nasty; this is what facism looks like.

 

[alex397]

It does feel that the far-right is highly prevalent in Kent. We have the issues in Dover today, with balaclava men dressed in black blocking the roads, and there is a prevalent far-right groups that seem to be centred on areas such as Faversham.

Though I doubt most of the people in Dover would support what occurred today. In fact I spoke to someone from Dover at the Faversham Hop Festival, who is proudly working class, who has some strong views about the ‘protest’ today and some strong views about what should happen to Farage/Reform/Restore which I won’t repeat.

I do feel very concerned about the far right and particularly in Kent.

 

[AlterEgo]

Re: the assault of the heckler, those are just plain vile people, and all capable of being dropped easily by the looks of them. It's only because it was a woman they decided to get involved. They hate themselves, they see themselves as victims and they are insecure. Like many similar voters, just tragic people with no faith in the power of redemption.

 

[jon0844]

Re: the assault of the heckler, those are just plain vile people, and all capable of being dropped easily by the looks of them. It's only because it was a woman they decided to get involved. They hate themselves, they see themselves as victims and they are insecure. Like many similar voters, just tragic people with no faith in the power of redemption.

Image of Reform party conference male who was captured on video attacking a female heckler with a message saying Protect Are Women.

We'll probably have Reform claim this man and others were left wing plants. I mean Nigel told the BBC he wasn't listening to what was being said at the Clacton meeting we all saw. He's changing his story yet again!

This image was created by Cold War Steve I believe.

 

[AlterEgo]

Oh, you've cropped Stephen's name badge out! Interesting to discover what he does for a living. You'd never guess (clue: Reform might have been wise to hire him before the last election!)

 

[brad465]

It does feel that the far-right is highly prevalent in Kent. We have the issues in Dover today, with balaclava men dressed in black blocking the roads, and there is a prevalent far-right groups that seem to be centred on Faversham, and with a few people who drive for one of the local bus companies in east Kent.
Though I doubt most of the people in Dover would support what occurred today. In fact I spoke to someone from Dover at the Faversham Hop Festival who is proudly working class who has some strong views about the ‘protest’ today and some strong views about what should happen to Farage/Reform/Restore which I won’t repeat.

I do feel very concerned about the far right and particularly in Kent.

Two things struck me about those protests: firstly, the irony of wanting to ban the burqa while dressed in balaclavas with black hoodies. Second, just as the Just Stop Oil folk found out, disruptive protests that have significant impacts on the lives of others are counterproductive to the cause and will turn people off the issue being protested about. If they really want to protest this issue, they should try a several 100,000+ protest outside Westminster (if 10% of Reform UK voters in 2024 could be bothered, that would be ~400,000). If they can't manage this, maybe it's not as big a deal as they think.

 

[edwin_m]

Image of Reform party conference male who was captured on video attacking a female heckler with a message saying Protect Are Women.

I see from that lanyard that the conference is sponsored by British American Tobacco. Not sure who Omni is - web search suggests pet food but the logo is different.

 

[AlterEgo]

Two things struck me about those protests: firstly, the irony of wanting to ban the burqa while dressed in balaclavas with black hoodies. Second, just as the Just Stop Oil folk found out, disruptive protests that have significant impacts on the lives of others are counterproductive to the cause and will turn people off the issue being protested about. If they really want to protest this issue, they should try a several 100,000+ protest outside Westminster (if 10% of Reform UK voters in 2024 could be bothered, that would be ~400,000). If they can't manage this, maybe it's not as big a deal as they think.

This was intended as a show of strength, the ability to mobilise men (and working class ones at that) to cause disruption. Nobody pays much heed to Hortensia Appleby-Jones of Just Stop Oil, but a cadre of organised blokes is a different prospect. Apparently despite the intimidating atmosphere there was no trouble and they simply protested peacefully even if it was very disruptive.

 

[Harpo]

Two things struck me about those protests: firstly, the irony of wanting to ban the burqa while dressed in balaclavas with black hoodies.

All-over white would be too much of a giveaway.

 

[martin butler]

Is it me but is the shiny veneer coming off Reform PLC and we now see what they really are about, Spivs and racketeers, pocketing money not caring where its from, or the legality of it, supported by an easily manipulated group of inadequates who have been conditioned from birth that their problems are the fault of someone else.

 

[Robin Edwards]

Is it me but is the shiny veneer coming off Reform PLC and we now see what they really are about, Spivs and racketeers, pocketing money not caring where its from, or the legality of it, supported by an easily manipulated group of inadequates who have been conditioned from birth that their problems are the fault of someone else.

Rebranding and reinvention of racist parties (UKIP/BMP/EDL/NF/Restore/Reform) have in my mind always displayed exactly what these/their people are all about. I don't accept that it takes until now for the penny to drop?

 

[Killingworth]

This was intended as a show of strength, the ability to mobilise men (and working class ones at that) to cause disruption. Nobody pays much heed to Hortensia Appleby-Jones of Just Stop Oil, but a cadre of organised blokes is a different prospect. Apparently despite the intimidating atmosphere there was no trouble and they simply protested peacefully even if it was very disruptive.and I were driving into Aheffiel

As we drove into Sheffield from the south-western leafy suburbs at 7.30 on Friday morning we noted a person waiting at the road side dressed head to toe in black. Black hoody, high black face mask showing a slit for eyes. We thought it very odd. Now we can guess why.

How many more of these protesters were brazenly travelling in full public gaze towards Dover? From where, and how?

To be fair to Reform it seems they have made clear they don't approve of such actions. Nevertheless their rhetoric does little to dissuade those even more to the right. They live amongst us.

 

[SargeNpton]

As we drove into Sheffield from the south-western leafy suburbs at 7.30 on Friday morning we noted a person waiting at the road side dressed head to toe in black. Black hoody, high black face mask showing a slit for eyes. We thought it very odd. Now we can guess why.

That's the dress code for drug dealers on ebikes in my neck of the woods.

 

[Cdd89]

If they really want to protest this issue, they should try a several 100,000+ protest outside Westminster

Even among those who strongly agree with their aims, only a minority would want to join a protest which has a high chance of violent disorder.

I would also note that almost every party is promising to "stop the boats"; it's as meaningless a slogan as "just stop oil" whereby almost every party agrees with this as a long-term goal. The groups are amusingly rather similar in that they are pushing for things that everyone already wants, the disagreement in both cases is just on what methods would work.

[Whenever I've talked to soft-reformy-type people about how they would stop the boats, I never get any credible answers, quite often they just launch into more ranting about how outrageous it is; I can't fathom how someone could feel so strongly about something without having a plan for how they would achieve their so-desired outcome]

 

[SuspectUsual]

[Whenever I've talked to soft-reformy-type people about how they would stop the boats, I never get any credible answers, quite often they just launch into more ranting about how outrageous it is; I can't fathom how someone could feel so strongly about something without having a plan for how they would achieve their so-desired outcome]

I only knowingly know two people who say they'd vote Reform. One of them is pragmatic enough to admit its a very tough thing to solve and the withdrawal agreement makes it worse; the other happily says "Nigel will have a plan" and offers nothing else.

 

[martin butler]

Even among those who strongly agree with their aims, only a minority would want to join a protest which has a high chance of violent disorder.

I would also note that almost every party is promising to "stop the boats"; it's as meaningless a slogan as "just stop oil" whereby almost every party agrees with this as a long-term goal. The groups are amusingly rather similar in that they are pushing for things that everyone already wants, the disagreement in both cases is just on what methods would work.

[Whenever I've talked to soft-reformy-type people about how they would stop the boats, I never get any credible answers, quite often they just launch into more ranting about how outrageous it is; I can't fathom how someone could feel so strongly about something without having a plan for how they would achieve their so-desired outcome]

Oh, You can bet that some will have an answer, they just won't say it out loud, unless they're in their bubble of support, then they will say it loud and clear, and it will be as inhumane as they think they can get away with, up to and including industrialised murder.